Recent news

Increasing numbers of over-60s are packing in married life for a last spurt of singledom, divorce statistics show.

In 2009, 11,500 over-60s filed for divorce in England and Wales. In 2010, that number rose to 14,600.

This spurt of ‘silver separation’ is, experts theorise, down to the simple fact that people are realising life isn’t over yet. Many people in their 60s still have parents alive, showing them that there’s still plenty of life left to live…so why waste it in an unhappy marriage that’s long past its best?

Sue Plumtree, from Richmond, Surrey, left her husband eight years ago at the turn of her 60th birthday. “I was married for 37 years when I finally decided I deserved better,” she says. “It’s not that I didn’t love him any more, it was just time for a better life, and it was the best thing that I’ve ever done.”

Experts have warned that prolonged exposure to arguing parents puts children at risk of developing depression.

Researchers from Cambridge University discovered that children who witnessed six months or more of intermittent arguments had more difficulty processing and understanding emotions than those who grew up in a more amicable home environment.

The study consisted of 238 boys and girls aged between 15 and 18 from schools in Cambridge and Suffolk. The researchers started by taking genetic tests to identify a certain gene thought to regulate serotonin, otherwise known as the ‘feel-good hormone’.

This serotonin-regulating gene (known technically as 5-HTTLPR) is inherited directly from our parents. There are two versions of this gene – one is known as the ‘long variant’ and the other is known as the ‘short variant’. Previous research has found that people with the short variant are more likely to become...

‘Having money makes you happy’, claims Downing Street’s Behavioural Insights Team in what’s been dubbed the ‘Big Idea of 2013’.

The Behavioural Insights Team, otherwise known as the ‘Nudge Unit’, is a government initiative designed to encourage the people of Britain to take their health and happiness into their own hands.

The Nudge Unit hopes to tackle public health issues such as alcohol abuse and obesity through the power of suggestion rather than laws and regulation.

The team’s newest theory is that money can make you happy as long as it is spent wisely – an idea based on an article by American psychologists Elizabeth W Dunn, Daniel T Gilbert and Timothy Wilson. The theory is due to published next year as a book called ‘Happy Money’.

People who hate work are just as likely to have mental health problems as those who are unemployed, a new study has found.

Researchers from the Australian National University compared the mental health of British people who were unemployed with those who had jobs.

The results clearly showed that people who were either unemployed or unhappy at work were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than people who enjoyed their job.

This is not the first time unhappiness at work has been linked with poor health.

Earlier this year, researchers at University College London found that being denied promotion can increase the risk of heart disease by 20%. Putting in a lot of work for no reward, the scientists explained, increased stress levels which in turn increased the risk of heart disease.

Professor Butterworth, who lead the recent research into job satisfaction and mental health, said: ‘This research adds to a growing body of...

Britain’s unhealthy culture is ‘out of kilter with most of the civilised world’, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has warned.

In her report, CMO Professor Dame Sally Davies brought together health data from across the UK and Europe to paint a comprehensive picture of the country’s health.

Local authorities and local health professionals will use this information to improve the health of people living in their communities.

The results of the report are, according to Dame Sally, ‘stark and worrying’ and point to the need for an immediate overhaul of British culture.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: “We really have young people who are binge drinking and it is damaging their livers young. Particularly girls don’t realise our female livers do not tolerate alcohol as well as men’s livers do and we should drink significantly less than them.”

Children are hiding their talents to avoid potential bullying, a new report has found.

In a poll conducted for anti-bullying week, over a quarter of UK children said they had quit an activity they enjoyed for fear of bullying.

Almost half admitted to playing down their talents in class and one in five girls said they deliberately underachieved in maths to avoid nasty comments.

The survey involved 1,042 children aged between 11 and 16. The results suggest bullying could lead to a rise in children failing exams, avoiding extra-curricular activities, dropping out of sport and avoiding the subjects they secretly enjoy.

Fear of bullying caused 11% of children to stop singing, 8% to stop drama, 9% to quit dancing and 8% to give up sport.

Ross Hendry, chair of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, said: “It’s unacceptable that rather than celebrate their talent, [children] feel that they have to hide their gifts,...

One in five people who seek help for mental health problems are inspired to do so by celebrities who go public about their own experiences, according to statistics released today by charity Mind.

Despite critics blasting millionaire celebrities for painting a warped view of life with mental illness, new research suggests these public figures do play an increasingly important role in lifting the stigma of mental health.

When The Saturdays singer Frankie Sandford opened up to Glamour magazine about her experience of depression, Mind Infoline received an influx of calls from girls citing Frankie as their main inspiration for seeking help.

Further research revealed that a third of the young women who had seen Frankie’s interview were prompted to consider their own mental health, and the same number felt inspired to make changes in their lives to become happier and healthier.

Millions of us stood silent at 11am last Sunday to remember Britain’s fallen soldiers.

With the plight of brave men and women fresh in our minds, now is the time to think about those who will be returning from Iraq and Afghanistan between now and 2014, when the last battalions are due to return from war.

Thousands of soldiers who appear healthy are suffering from an invisible wound – post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition manifests after the witnessing of horrific things.

These people will be haunted by traumatic memories for the rest of their lives, with many turning to drugs and alcohol, and many others losing their families, losing their homes and even losing their desire to continue living.

In some extreme cases, PTSD sufferers commit violent crimes – just a few months ago 24 year old Afghan veteran Aaron Wilkinson hit the news for shooting dead his 52-year-old landlady. He has since admitted...

Scientists have found evidence to suggest that our love affair with technology could be to blame for rising depression levels in the UK.

Lying in bed late at night glued to Facebook and Youtube, texting friends on your smartphone, or watching TV, could be raising your risk of depression.

American scientists used mice to test how exposure to bright lights during sleeping hours affects behaviour and stress levels.

They found that mice regularly exposed to light at night showed symptoms of being depressed. They showed less interest in doing fun things in their cages, became less likely to investigate new objects and stopped moving around so much.

These mice were also found to have higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.

Cortisol is thought to result in lower cognitive function and depression.

The scientists also found that exposure to bright lights affected parts of the mice’s eyes, a type of cell thought to...